7 noteworthy in-house career moves

Avon Products Inc. appointed Jeff Benjamin senior vice president and general counsel. Between 1986 and 2011, Benjamin held various legal positions at Novartis Corp. and its predecessor company, Ciba-Geigy Corp. He also served as Novartis’s chief ethics and compliance officer and chair of its ethics and compliance committee. He replaces Kim Rucker, who left the company for Kraft Foods Inc. in July.

Michael Harrington will assume the title of general counsel and senior vice president of Eli Lilly & Co. on Jan. 1, 2013. Harrington joined the pharmaceutical company in 1991, and has held a variety of legal and business positions, including general counsel for Asia-Pacific operations and managing director of Eli Lilly New Zealand. He is currently the company’s deputy general counsel and vice president.

Leap Motion, a motion control software and hardware company, named Peter Lurie general counsel and senior vice president of business development. Lurie comes to the company from American Express Co., where he oversaw online and mobile commerce partnerships as senior vice president for strategic partnerships and business development. He previously was a co-founder of Virgin Mobile USA.

Elizabeth Matthews joined the American Society of Composers, Authors and Producers (ASCAP) as executive vice president and general counsel. Matthews most recently served as executive vice president and deputy general counsel at Viacom Media Networks.

Pepco Holdings Inc. named Kevin Fitzgeraldexecutive vice president and general counsel. Fitzgerald previously was an executive partner for client development strategic planning and a member of the executive committee at Troutman Sanders. He replaces Kirk Emge, who will retire in April 2013 after 26 years with the utility company.

Air Lease Corp., a commercial aircrafts lessor, appointed Carol Forsyte as executive vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer. Forsyte joins the company after 15 years at Motorola Inc., where she held positions including board secretary and chief governance and SEC counsel.

Courtesy of Louisiana State University System

Other In-House Moves

Ray Lamonicaresigned as general counsel of the Louisiana State University (LSU) system. His resignation follows the departures of several other high-level university officials, including President John Lombardi, who was ousted by board members appointed by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Lamonica will remain at the university as a professor at the LSU Law Center.